I absolutely had to write a follow up to my post regarding all things wedding & Pantone Living Coral ! So I did 4 graduating makeup looks on my friend Gabrielle. I will describe them below with each photo. The 4 diverse looks will display that no matter what the season or event or your comfort level you can integrate Living Coral into your makeup.

The first look is very clean for daytime or for a woman who is most comfortable with a very natural look. It includes soft eyes & peach matte lip.

I added liner to Gabrielle’s eyes for the second look & added more color to her lips plus a peachy gloss.

Gabrielle’s eyes are much more smoky & bronze for the 3rd look with a very nude cream lip.

The fourth look has some gold on the lid and under the inner corner and I added a lush pair of lashes. Her lips are a soft matte Cognac by Nars overlayed with a gloss.

I employed the products and brushes above in doing Gabrielle’s makeup. The products in the first photo and the brushes are available at Che Sguardo Makeup Studio in Chicago. They will ship all over the U.S. & Internationally. If you live in or near Chicago pay them a visit…It’s an amazing place and they offer detailed makeup lessons ! In the 3rd photo are MAC lipsticks and glosses.

No matter what color palette you choose to work in, try the looks above. Enjoy !

Living Coral…If this lovely , warm color appeals to you there there are gorgeous & subtle ways to incorporate it into all aspects of your wedding day ! First of all there are soft shades of coral that can be paired with pale green, navy blue, sage green, white, ivory and chartreuse. I think showing you visual ideas is much more desireable than chatting about it so here you are:

This was the theme of Emily and Nick’s July 15th wedding at The Haight in Elgin, Illinois. I usually don’t blog about about specific weddings but I felt especially connected to this wedding since I have known a family member for many years.

Renee, Aja and I love working on this bridal party ! They were a pleasure ! The photos below by the amazing Caitlin Hazelton speak for themselves. Here are the reviews posted on Facebook, Wed Folio & Wedding Wire by the bride and by her Stepmom Jeanne:

Wendy Kimmel is the best of the best! Truly a class act!!! I treated my step-daughter (and myself) on her wedding day to a princess/movie star experience with a TRUE professional. Emily (never had experience with a professional tv makeup artist) had the opportunity to work with Wendy before her wedding day during the trial and get a sense of the experience to come and hence, one stressor of her wedding day was alleviated. She left Wendy’s initial consult elated. She was very happy. Wendy took ample time to get to know Emily and her likes and preferences. Wendy’s goal is to enhance your natural beauty. Wendy’s team allowed the bride and the bridal party to sit back, relax and enjoy the pampering and avoid the wedding day jitters/anxiety of primping oneself.
Brides, honor yourselves: Treat yourself to the exquisite pampering Wendy and her crew can offer to you.

Cooking and Relationships can go hand in hand. Not just for couples- but for best friends, Dads and Daughters and siblings. Cooking a great meal together is exciting and will strengthen your bond. Teamwork, no matter what type of relationship you have will occur when you cook together! You don’t know where to start ? Find a great culinary school in your area and sign up. Here is a perfect example of a wonderful school with classes that will enrich your life.

Class at Marcel’s

I interviewed Chef Paul Lindemuth again who is Executive Chef for Marcels’s at Maison. Marcel’s Culinary Experience in Glen Ellyn, Illinois has stellar cooking classes and is a retail store that sells cooking equipment, cutlery, and beautiful tabletop items. Here is what Chef Paul said to me about the classes.

“The classes are geared toward serious home cooks and people who are looking to not only learn but to have a social event in the kitchen as well. Our class formats are really varied. Our basic format is a hands on class typically from 8 to 20 students. Every student gets a package of recipes, an apron, a cutting board & a knife. The class is broken up into groups and everyone works together to prep & cook. After the culinary assistants clear the students sit down and have dinner with wine or beer. So it’s a wonderful learning experience because they get to socialize and make new friends. One of the most rewarding things about teaching a class is that I see (for instance) 16 students coming to a class; none of whom know each other and having them walk out as new friends. The things that I try to instill in every class that I teach are:

Organizational skills – How to get yourself ready, focused and well prepared before you even turn the stove on. How to read a recipe & assess the level of complexity. How to put everything in it’s place and keep your workspace tidy.

Correct & safe knife usage & how to maintain food safety. All the basic fundamentals that every person in the kitchen needs to address. Plus the finished product should not only taste wonderful but it should look beautiful and appealing on the plate. Because that’s our first impression.

The classes are very broad based and are geared to beginners, proficient home cooks, people who have special dietary needs..etc. One of the biggest satisfactions for me is watching a student amass a new skill set, have the confidence that they can go home & recreate a meal that they would not have tackled without having done it with a group and Chef Instructor.”

So no matter if you’re thinking of taking a class on your own or bonding with your loved one…Go for it ! More photos of Marcel’s Chef Instructors below and beautiful food created in classes.

Would you love to have a truly memorable meal for your Wedding, Party or Event ? Source ingredients from your locale including your spirits and craft beers. I recently interviewed Chef Paul Lindemuth from The Art of Food about what he considers to be current & sustainable event cuisine. Here is our conversation:

Chef Paul, what do you consider current food trends and what are people asking for ?

There are three things that I see as being current in the food world. In the event world and the educational field as well. The Number One thing that I see people tapping into is trying to be aware of eating both seasonally and locally especially during the summer & fall. I’ve watched the proliferation of awareness of Farmers’ Markets here in the Chicago area & people are really jumping into that. Knowing where their food comes from is a big deal. Eating food that is in season such as tomatoes and corn in the summer when we know it’s coming from local sources instead of from a grocer when it may be coming from somewhere halfway around the world and being substandard in quality.

Number Two: People are much more interested in expanding their horizons and eating food they’re not familiar with. I’ve even seen that with my more traditional clients. They are thinking more broadly and want new foods presented to them.

Number Three: People are trying to eat more healthily and eating foods that are sustainable, organic and are good not only for themselves but for the farmer & for the producer as well.

The subject I am writing about today close to my heart. I feel it is for everyone: bridal clients, special event clients, makeup artists and pro hair stylists.

I belong to a special group of professional makeup artists and have connected with many of them through social media. Last August one of these talented people wrote an entry that concerns all of us greatly.

Here is the post: “Today is Wednesday.. and she needs a makeup artist for her wedding for THIS Saturday..for herself (bride) and 5 bridesmaids… and she thinks she is in a position to negotiate her prices and my time… When I asked why is she just now booking a makeup artist.. She said she figured she didn’t have to book so far ahead and it’s only makeup.”

It’s only Makeup ?!!! Infuriating ! So many things to say about this. 1.) Many women have never had contact with a pro makeup artist before… They have no idea what goes into the process itself. My artist friends and I put our whole souls into a face. Some of us were painters and graphic artists to begin with.

2.) Years of study, classes, seminars and practice go into our careers. What we do is a calling and our integrity demands the Best work and beyond. We pay considerable attention to trends and use the top products available so no matter what media we work in the client looks excellent in person & on camera.

3.) I have spoken to other Event professionals such as Planners, Photographers & Floral Designers about this. They told me that clients do not attempt to bargain with them. They accept their prices at face value. What is it about makeup artists that inspires this flea market client behavior ? We cannot bargain with people…it devalues us and our art.

I want you to know that I have had MANY generous and wonderful clients over the last 25 years who have never questioned my prices and greatly valued my work.

Which brings us to the next issue: VALUE. My prices are moderate, well below others of my calibre in Chicago. The same goes for my other really talented artist colleagues. Last year I had a client who was an important member of a bridal party. I worked with her to achieve the exact look she wanted (One hour & 15 minutes) and frankly she seemed thrilled. I thought she looked like a movie star and told her so. Yet she gave me a 3 out of 5 stars for Value when reviewing my work on a major wedding website. I was shocked.

I planned this blog months ago but this issue came up today again when another artist in an online group posted about a last minute request (SAME DAY) for 2 girls and yet the client wanted a deal because there were 2 people. WHAAAT ? !!! This is a perfect example of not respecting value and art. Here’s my last Statement: We LOVE what we do !

Gentlemen this blog is for You ! It will help you get through the wedding planning process and the wedding in grand style. And Ladies it will take some stress off of you by giving your beloved advice & great ideas about how to help you. I’m not going to give you this help directly. I’m going to give you the links to my Four favorite Groom websites. There’s even a site for your best man. From engagement ring buying guides to stripper free bachelor parties to choosing the venue and much, much more. A couple of the websites are UK based but most of the issues are universal anyway !

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Here are the four sites…there are more online if you feel the need to look further. the plunge.com, the bestman.com, staggered & themanregistry.com

I think you’ll find these sites really eye opening and fun to read. Enjoy and please let me know what you think in the comment section !

REDS… I’ve always loved them . They were all over the Fall 2015 runways but they scare some women. Many women I have spoken to say they will never wear red. You know what ? Reds can be soft & muted or mixed with rose. Try using a pencil with a gloss or just a red gloss by itself. There are some gorgeous ones out there like MAC Ruby Woo. Or try one of the really trendy mattes and blot it down if full strength is too intense for you. With mascara and a bit of liner (or not) red lips can light up your look !

Now that your very special day has taken place what are you going to do with your gorgeous wedding gown ? Recently I surveyed several of my lovely brides on this subject. Two of them took their gowns to bridal gown preservationists and paid $500 to $600. All the others said their gowns were in their closets or at their parents in the original hanging bag from the bridal shop. So I decided to do a bit of research and here is what I found: There are several less expensive alternatives that I found online. For instance at Bed, Bath & Beyond there are two levels of Gown Preservation kits. There are also some from David’s Bridal and other online sources. If you are thinking of saving your gown for your daughter or niece or possibly altering it later for a cocktail dress, invest in a preservation kit. I think you’ll be really happy with your decision in the long run !

About Wendy Kimmel and Visage Joli Beauty

My greatest pleasure in life is to enhance a woman’s natural beauty. There’s something magical about a woman seeing herself in a new light and all of us at Visage Joli bring our passion and makeup artistry to make that happen.

We stay with each of our clients until they look and feel perfect.

Weddings have been a passion of mine for many years, so I have spent a great deal of time speaking with brides, wedding planners, caterers and all of the professionals who work together to make that special day perfect. I only blog about the subjects that I know a lot about, so you’ll find my insider tips and maybe even a trade secret or two!

I grew up surrounded by great fashion, thanks to my family’s business – a gorgeous women’s store filled with only the best designers and top lines. I remember when Women’s Wear Daily arrived at the store when I was a girl and I would copy the drawings. Because of that early exposure to fashion, beauty and style, I went to art school to study Painting and Graphic Design.

Since 1987, I’ve had the great privilege of working in the Television and Film Industries as a makeup artist. I spent 9 years as the makeup artist for the guests at the Oprah Winfrey Show and I’ve been at CBS News in Chicago for 25 years.